Potpourri 2 by Nick Conticello

Renowned author and collector Doug Edwards praised this ebook, stating:

“The stuff you do with a shuffled deck and one or two key cards borders on the miraculous!”

1. TEN-IS MATCH: The magician presents ten matching pairs from a deck. After mixing, the spectator divides them, yet all pairs astonishingly align. This effect draws inspiration from Howard Adams and Gene Finnell.

2. TALONS OF THE HAWK: Two participants each select a card from ten options, which they then lose in the deck. The performer reveals both cards using elimination shuffles. This can follow TEN-IS MATCH or be performed with a borrowed, shuffled deck. Inspired by Max Maven’s The Hawk, it offers a unique method.

3. TALONS OF THE BAT: A variation of TALONS OF THE HAWK.

4. KAGI NO KAGI: (Key of Keys) A trick designed to stump fellow magicians. A spectator selects a card from a shuffled deck in a way that eliminates key cards, yet they still identify their own card. This clever positioning leads to Karl Fulves’ Oracle revelation, combining Aronson’s UnDo Influence with Conticello’s CAFE Control, inspired by Geoffrey Scalbert.

5. NYC, IT’S YOUR CARD!: A layman-friendly version of KAGI NO KAGI. A freely chosen card is revealed by spelling out one or more of New York City’s boroughs, inspired by Bill Nord’s The Magic of Manhattan.

6. CONTROL AGENT 99: The performer extracts two face-down cards from a shuffled deck, claiming they predict two events. Two volunteers cut packets and note the face cards before replacing them. After a cut, the performer reveals one selected card, explaining it was between two Nines. The predictions are turned over to show the other Nines! The second selection is counted to the 18th card, utilizing Aronson’s UnDo Influence and a simplified version of the Marlo Prayer Cull.

7. Bonus Effect: MISANTHRO-PIC: A spectator thinks of a character from a classic film and spells their name to select a card from a small packet. After losing the selection, the performer divines the character and reveals the card’s final position.

8. THE WIDDERSHINS CUT: Conticello’s renowned sleightless four-way false cut is featured, refined from The Shadow Placement, and is applicable for multiple effects in this ebook.